


Ficlet Collection (Eliot/Quinn Edition)

by seraphina_snape



Series: sera's leverageland scribbles [6]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Ficlets, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-06-09 01:26:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 4,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6883396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eliot & Quinn. A story told in connecting ficlets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These were originally part of the batch of ficlets as my [Ficlet Collection 2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6872389?view_full_work=true). But since they tell their own story, I decided to post them separately. 
> 
> Written for Leverageland, probably. 
> 
> Warnings: There is violence, but nothing I'd consider "graphic" as such, but this is Eliot and Quinn we're talking about. Parts of the story deal with injuries and patching someone up afterwards.
> 
> While interconnected, they _are_ still separate ficlets, so the overall story is not as cohesive as a regular fic would be.

**Prompt:** 071\. Accelerate  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #1 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

Eliot was waiting at a red light, idly watching the traffic fly past ahead of him. There was no need to keep an eye on the light - he'd notice when the sedan in front of him started moving. 

Suddenly, the passenger side door was thrown open and Quinn slipped into the truck.

He calmly set the briefcase he was carrying down on the floorboard, holding it between his legs, and said, "Go." 

Eliot didn't hesitate. 

At any other time, in any other situation, his mental alarm bells would be ringing at the ease with which he followed Quinn's lead. Right now, however, he saw the two SUVs that were following them - following Quinn - and he hit the gas. He could question his life choices later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Prompt:** 075\. Mirror  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #2 in the Eliot/Quinn series.  


Eliot maneuvered the car around a corner, making Quinn curse when he was thrown into the door during the fast turn, complaining about his arm. Eliot didn't spare more than a split second glance for him. If he had breath to curse, he couldn't walk it off.

Then a shot rang out and the side mirror on Eliot's side shattered into a million pieces. Eliot growled and took another sharp turn, pulling into a parking garage.

"They're gonna recognize the truck if they follow us," Quinn said, soundly only mildly disturbed.

"Maybe," Eliot agreed. He pulled into a long-term parking spot next to another truck, this one hidden under a protective cover. He pointed at the cover. "But maybe not."


	3. Chapter 3

**Prompt:** 073\. Rage  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #3 in the Eliot/Quinn series.  


They could both hear the SUV motors pass by slowly, like they were looking at every car in the parking garage. Hopefully, the cover they'd pulled off the next truck and draped over Eliot's would hide them.

Eliot shifted a little, his hands curling into fists without meaning to. 

"Quit moving!" Quinn whispered. "They're gonna see the truck moving and come check it out. Do you want to get into a fight with them?" 

"Maybe," Eliot whispered back. "Maybe I do. They shot my truck!" 

"Excellent point," Quinn countered. "They have guns, you don't. And I'm out of ammo. We don't have a chance!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Prompt:** 074\. Speed  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #4 in the Eliot/Quinn series.  


"So," Eliot said once they were back on the road. "You gonna tell me what you're doing in my car and where we're going?" 

"Your place," Quinn said tersely. "As for why I'm in the car... my contact fell through. I had a bunch of guys on my ass and none of my contingency plans would have worked." 

"Uh-huh," Eliot said. "And why's that?" 

Quinn laughed humorlessly, holding his side. When he pulled his hand away and held it up for Eliot to see, fresh blood was glistening on the pads of his fingers, shining wetly in the afternoon sun. 

"Gunshot wounds," Quinn said, nonchalant. "Don't usually slow me down too much, but four is pushing it, don't you think?" 

Eliot pressed his lips together and pulled out into the left lane, putting on a bit of speed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Prompt:** 072\. Car  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #5 in the Eliot/Quinn series.  


They were still seven minutes from Eliot's place and the silence - usually something that Eliot relished - was weighing on his mind. 

"What's this job that has you bleeding all over my car?" he asked. "You done with it, or did you plan on getting shot a few more times?" 

"Very funny," Quinn said, quirking his lips. "You should consider a career in comedy. I'm sure you'd be a real hoot." 

Eliot didn't rise to the bait. 

Quinn sighed when Eliot stayed quiet, refusing to change the subject. 

"It's done," he said. "My client was owed some money for a specific freelance job he did, but his employer decided not to pay. I got him to reconsider." Quinn nodded towards the briefcase at his feet. "Unfortunately, my client's employer's business partner disagreed. They have no idea who I am though, so it's unlikely they'll be able to come after me now that they've lost the trail."


	6. Chapter 6

**Prompt:** 034\. Kitchen  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #6 in the Eliot/Quinn series.  


"In here," Eliot said, leading the way into the kitchen. Quinn hadn't asked for help and Eliot hadn't offered it, but he did walk close enough to catch Quinn if his legs gave out on him. 

"How much blood did you lose?" Eliot asked, ducking into the bathroom to get his big first aid kit. It was a little bit more extensive that your usual household first aid kit, stashed with several useful prescription drugs, a suture kit and other helpful material. "Do you need a transfusion?" 

Quinn shook his head. He looked a little pale, but not alarmingly so, and he didn't show any of the signs of heavy blood loss. Not to mention that he was still standing upright on his own. 

"Didn't bleed too much," Quinn said, slowly peeling off his jacket. "Got a graze on my side and one on my shoulder, but I have a bullet stuck in my leg and a through-and-through in the arm. I would have been fine, but then the second SUV rolled up and, well. You know the rest."


	7. Chapter 7

**Prompt:** 079\. Blue  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #7 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

"This shirt is a complete loss," Eliot said, tossing Quinn's blue shirt into the trash. 

"Pants and jacket, too," Quinn agreed. "Bullet holes are not the fashion statement I want to make." 

"I wasn't aware you had a sense of fashion," Eliot quipped. 

Quinn snorted. "Told you you should have gone into comedy," he said. "And we can't all make lumberjack chic work for us," he added, eyeing Eliot's red-and-white plaid shirt. "Some of prefer to wear actual suits. You know, look like a professional." 

"I prefer to be able to move when I work." 

"Are you kidding me? These suits are specifically tailored to look amazing and allow me full range of motion. I can bust heads _and_ look great." He mournfully tossed the jacket and pants into the trash after the shirt. "That's several thousand dollars down the drain. I'm definitely adding that to my fee," he muttered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Prompt:** 078\. Brilliant  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #8 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

"It's stuck in the muscle," Eliot said, positioning his lamp so he could better see into the wound on Quinn's leg. Quinn was sitting on the kitchen table which Eliot had turned into a makeshift operating table. 

They'd already taken care of the two grazes Quinn had, cleaning them and simply slapping a bandage on. As long as they didn't get infected, they'd heal fine on their own. Eliot had bandaged the through-and-through in Quinn's arm next, making sure there was nothing stuck in the wound before cleaning and wrapping it. 

Eliot grabbed his tweezers. "This is gonna hurt," he warned. "A lot."

"Oh brilliant," Quinn muttered, gritting his teeth as Eliot started to dig out the bullet.


	9. Chapter 9

**Prompt:** 077\. Tomorrow  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #9 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

"Do you need to contact your client?" Eliot asked. 

Quinn, dosed up with painkillers, antibiotics and vitamins, drowsily looked at him before letting his head fall back onto the armrest of the sofa. "I can do that tomorrow," he mumbled. "Unless you're kicking me out." 

Eliot rolled his eyes. "You can stay the night," he said. "Just don't make it a habit." 

Quinn shot him a look, but didn't say anything. He didn't have to; they both knew that it was unusual that Eliot was letting him stay. Hell, it was unusual that Eliot had helped him in the first place. Technically, they weren't even on the same side most of the time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Prompt:** 080\. Spell  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #10 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

"I've been to places whose names I can't pronounce let alone spell," Quinn said the next morning, trying to hide his limp as he shuffled into the kitchen, "but it's good old Portland that finally lays me up." 

Eliot grunted into his coffee, not up for conversation so early in the morning. Besides, he seriously doubted that this was the first time Quinn had been stopped with a bullet to the leg, or that this was the worst he'd ever been hurt.

"Not a big talker in the morning, huh?" Quinn said, helping himself to a cup of coffee. He took a sip and coughed. "Wow, with coffee this strong I'm surprised you don't look more awake." 

Eliot sighed. "Do you always talk so much in the morning?" 

"Usually," Quinn admitted, grinning. "Nice to get those things out up front, isn't it?" 

Eliot rolled his eyes and grunted into his coffee again. Quinn could talk, but nothing said he had to respond.


	11. Chapter 11

**Prompt:** 084\. Diamond  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #11 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

"What's this?" Eliot asked, rolling the small diamond in the palm of his hand.

"It's a diamond," Quinn said. "You're a thief - shouldn't you be able to recognize one?" 

"I'm a retrieval specialist," Eliot countered, "and I knew what it was. I meant, why are you giving me a diamond?" 

"Too early?" Quinn asked, fluttering his eyelashes. When Eliot glared at him, he laughed and rolled his eyes. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. Consider it expense money, to cover anything you need to replace in your first aid kit or your kitchen." 

"A diamond?" Eliot said. "Quinn, I need to buy a few new towels, some bandages and a pair of jeans. It's not gonna bankrupt me and it would be covered by a fraction of what this diamond is worth." 

"Hmm," Quinn said, stepping closer until they were standing chest to chest. 

Quinn's limp had almost faded to nothing over the last four days, even though the wound was far from healed. But once a hitter, always a hitter, and as a hitter, you didn't show weakness unless you had no other choice or if you trusted the other person. 

Quinn raised his eyebrows when Eliot continued to stare at him. "Well," Quinn said, "maybe the diamond is my way of saying thank you. You didn't have to help me out, you didn't have to patch me up and you certainly didn't have to let me stay in your home while I got back on my feet." He slowly leaned in and pressed a soft, careful kiss to Eliot's lips. "So thank you," he said quietly. 

With that, Quinn took his briefcase and walked out of the house.


	12. Chapter 12

**Prompt:** 085\. Spider  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #12 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

He found the note not long after Quinn had left, right next to the coffee maker in the kitchen. It was on a piece of paper from the notepad by the phone, folded once in the middle so it would stand up on its own. His name was written on the outside in all capital letters, underlined twice. Dangling from the two black bars was a small cartoon spider that looked like it was trying to climb upwards. It looked like Quinn had hidden artistic talents. 

Eliot grinned and unfolded the note. 

Inside, were only two lines of text: "Client meeting not until next Wednesday. I'm staying in town until then; come and find me, if you want."


	13. Chapter 13

**Prompt:** 097\. Writer's Choice  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #13 in the Eliot/Quinn series.  


Finding Quinn took almost no time at all. He started with the hotel that he would have picked as his own home base for a job in town and then simply called the front desk. On a hunch, he asked for a Mr. Huckleberry's room number. The concierge wouldn't give out the room number, but he offered to patch the call through to Mr. Huckleberry's room. There was no answer however and the concierge offered to take a message. Eliot declined. Of course there was no answer - Quinn had left his place fifteen minutes ago. Even if his taxi took the most direct route, he wouldn't make it downtown in fifteen minutes during rush hour.


	14. Chapter 14

**Prompt:** 098\. Writer's Choice  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #14 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

Instead of calling again, Eliot started cooking. 

Over the last four days, Quinn had gotten enough of a taste of his cooking to know just how good he really was. By kissing him, Quinn had taken the first step, letting him know with the note that he was open for more. 

Now the ball was in Eliot's court. He could ignore it or follow through. Ignoring the attraction between them might have been possible five days ago, but now, after spending nearly ninety hours with Quinn, he could no longer ignore the heat simmering between them. And what better way to announce his intention than with a home-cooked lunch?


	15. Chapter 15

**Prompt:** 099\. Writer's Choice  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #15 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

It only took a bit of misdirection and a stolen hotel robe for the front desk to hand him the spare key to Mr. Huckleberry's room. Eliot made a detour to the parking lot and grabbed his picnic basket - stuffed to the rim with the most delicious finger food he'd been able to make in the last four hours - from the back seat before he took the rear entrance back into the hotel and taking the elevator up to the eighteenth floor. He knocked instead of using the key. If he barged into Quinn's room unannounced, he'd likely start something of an entirely different nature than what he had in mind.


	16. Chapter 16

**Prompt:** 100\. Writer's Choice  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #16 in the Eliot/Quinn series.

"You cooked me food?" was the first thing Quinn said, eyes fixed on the picnic basket. "Did you make any of these cucumber sandwich things?" 

Eliot snorted. "Yes, I did. And if you let me in the door, you might actually get to eat something." 

"All you had to do was ask," Quinn said, smiling slightly. 

Suddenly, Eliot wasn't sure if they were still talking about food. "Well, I'm asking," he said. 

Quinn's smile widened. "Good," he said, pulling Eliot forward by his belt buckle when he didn't move quickly enough. A moment later they were kissing, the picnic basket long forgotten.


	17. Chapter 17

**Prompt:** 096\. Writer's Choice  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #17 in the Eliot/Quinn series, implied (very, very implied) sexytimes that happened off screen

"I have to say," Quinn said, running his hand over Eliot's bare back, "this isn't exactly what I had envisioned when I took a job that would bring me to Portland for a few days." 

"It's not?" Eliot said. "I think my feelings are hurt," he said flatly. 

Quinn laughed. "Seriously, if you ever retire from the business, try stand up. You're hilarious." He kissed Eliot's forehead, then rested his cheek against Eliot's hair. "No, I figured I could check out that pub of yours, maybe catch a drink, see if you're still on the straight and narrow." 

"Hoping to corrupt me?" Eliot asked, smirking. 

"Didn't think you needed any help," Quinn shot back. "This isn't going to be easy. Would be easier if you weren't such a do gooder." 

"Or if you were a little more selective in choosing your jobs," Eliot countered. "But I'm not gonna change my ways and you're not gonna change yours, so where does that leave us?" 

"Right here, right now?" Quinn shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wait and see." 

Eliot nodded. "I can live with that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story I was trying to tell was basically over with this chapter. But then I had more prompts and more ideas, so...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tables have turned! Now Quinn has to take care of Eliot. 
> 
> Set an indeterminate amount of time after Eliot and Quinn got together.

**Prompt:** 035\. Boredom  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #18 in the Eliot/Quinn series

Every hitter knew how much abuse his or her own body could stand. When to push through the pain and when to pull back to let it heal. Going back on the job too early could be a death sentence, and the risk was very seldom worth it. But even knowing that didn't change the fact that Eliot was bored out of his skull. 

He sighed, making a fist and punching the mattress. It didn't help. In fact, it painfully tugged on the wound in his stomach, making him hiss. 

A knock on the glass wall made him look up, muscles tensing. Putting a hospital into the back room of the brew pub hadn't been Eliot's idea, but Parker and Hardison hadn't let him go home and heal on his own, away from everyone. But he was a crabby patient, so he was left to his own devices, with Hardison's spy cameras and 248 TV channels for company. It didn't help that he felt vulnerable in this open space, with too many exits and too much foot traffic happening beyond his little glassed in makeshift hospital room. 

Quinn was leaning against the open door. Eliot's muscles relaxed. 

"Parker called me," Quinn said. "Said she and Hardison couldn't take another moment of you trying to direct everyone from your sick bed." 

"They shoulda just let me go home then," Eliot muttered. 

Quinn walked over to the bed, brushing his fingers over Eliot's forehead. "They didn't want to leave you alone. I, for one, am glad they didn't." 

Eliot made an annoyed noise, but didn't disagree. 

"You're in luck though," Quinn continued. "If you can stand having me in your space for the next two, two and a half weeks, then you've got me." 

Eliot nodded, happy to get back to more secure ground.


	19. Chapter 19

**Prompt:** 036\. Latitude  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #19 in the Eliot/Quinn series

Sick people had a lot of latitude. Quinn got it. He approved, even. Everyone who was hurting and uncomfortable should be cut a little slack. But there had to be a limit, and Eliot apparently didn't know his. 

"This is the third time in the last two days that I found you in the kitchen, trying to cook something," he said. "You're not even supposed to get up, let along stand around for an hour. The only reason you're not peeing in a bag is because the doctor was too scared of your angry eyes to stay firm. Well, guess what? I'm not scared. So you're going back to bed and if I catch you out of it again, I'm gonna sit on you 24/7." 

"But nothing tastes right!" Eliot complained. 

Quinn sighed. "Okay, fine. Wait here." He dragged the closest armchair into the kitchen. "Sit down and tell me what to do."


	20. Chapter 20

**Prompt:** 027\. Stool  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #20 in the Eliot/Quinn series

"Is this thing really necessary?" Eliot asked, glaring at the bright pink plastic stool. 

"It is if you want to take a shower," Quinn said. "The doctor said only sitting down, so it's this or nothing." 

Eliot pulled a face. "I think I've gotten over the urge." 

"Really?" Quinn asked, one elegant eyebrow raised. "After four days of whining about it, you're refusing a shower?" 

Eliot shrugged. "I'm okay with sponge baths." 

Quinn leaned a little closer and took a careful sniff. "Yeah, my nose says you're going in the shower." 

"But--" Eliot looked down at the pink stool again. "Didn't they have any in black?" 

Quinn smirked. "Sure they did, Princess, but you've been such a drama queen these last few days that I figured this fit better."


	21. Chapter 21

**Prompt:** 028\. Broken  
 **Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
 **Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #21 in the Eliot/Quinn series

Quinn left the bathroom to grab an extra towel and came running back a couple of seconds later when he heard a loud crash. In the bathroom, he found Eliot leaning against the shower tiles, the splintered pieces of the pink plastic stool at his feet. 

"Oops," Eliot said, his innocent face entirely too smug to be believable. 

"Really?" Quinn asked. "Really?! I turn my back for two seconds and you _break the chair_?" 

Eliot shrugged. "I didn't mean to," he lied shamelessly. "It was an accident. Honest!" 

Quinn stared at him for a few seconds and then wordlessly left the bathroom. He returned a few moments later, an identical plastic chair - in the same horrid shade of pink - in his hands. Eliot gave it a dismayed look. 

"What a total coincidence that I bought two," Quinn said. "Or did I? Maybe I bought ten. But hey, I'm sure you'll be more careful from now on, right?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written as #22, but chronologically it fits in between chapters 17 and 18.

**Prompt:** 053\. Together  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #22 in the Eliot/Quinn series

Eliot wasn't sure what was going on between him and Quinn. They weren't dating, exactly, but Eliot wasn't sleeping with anyone else and he was pretty sure Quinn wasn't either. They hadn't talked about it, hadn't defined their relationship beyond "let's give this a try." They texted when Quinn was on a job - safer than speaking out loud; you never knew who was listening - and when he wasn't, Portland had become his #1 downtime location. Eliot cooked, they watched a movie or the news, played poker with the boys, had team nights with Hardison and Parker. So maybe they weren't dating, Eliot mused, but there was certainly no doubt that they were together.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standalone ficlet: this one isn't really connected to any of the storylines playing out in these ficlets.

**Prompt:** 054\. Power  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #23 in the Eliot/Quinn series

There were a lot of things about Eliot that Quinn disliked or merely tolerated, but at least just as many things he admired and found alluring. One of those things was Eliot's strength, his power. Eliot had the sort of control and precision that any hitter would be jealous of. Quinn was lucky enough that he knew Eliot well enough to know how much discipline it took for him not to go off the rails. He was also lucky enough to get a taste of that power, albeit in different circumstances than most marks, and decidedly more naked. Unless there was something Eliot hadn't told him about this White Hat business...


	24. Chapter 24

**Prompt:** 051\. Gift  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** technically #24 in the Eliot/Quinn series, even though Quinn is not even mentioned (but it sets up the next chapter)

"What's this?" Eliot asked, looking at the small box Hardison set down on the table and pushed towards him. 

"A gift," Hardison said, looking a little smug. 

Eliot hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached for the box, carefully unwrapping it. 

"It's not a bomb," Hardison snapped. "You can unwrap it normally, okay? No need to check for explosives with an endoscopic camera first." 

"Yeah, yeah," Eliot said. "And this from the man who switched the lids of the sugar and salt shakers just this morning. I haven't forgiven you for that yet - and neither has Parker - and now you come here with a gift? Damn straight I'm suspicious!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one directly follows chapter 24. Chronologically these two are set before chapter 18.

**Prompt:** 046\. Technology  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #25 in the Eliot/Quinn series, even though Quinn isn't even in it

"It's a cell phone," Eliot said. "Two cell phones." 

"For you and Quinn," Hardison said. "I know you haven't, like, announced it or what, but I know you're doing that thing--" 

"You mean having a relationship?" Eliot interrupted. "Yeah, we have." 

"Right," Hardison said. "Anyway, with our jobs, you and Quinn don't get to see each other much, so I made you these. These babies aren't just cell phones," Hardison explained. "They are untracable, unhackable, totally 100 % secure smartphones with extended storage and memory, custom-made unbreakable casings and - best of all - nobody but me has the numbers." He slid a piece of paper across the table with two phone numbers on it. "Anytime you wanna call Quinn but don't want to risk anyone listening in, use those phones. They can have an armada of satellites, but they won't hear a peep." He shrugged. "Well, unless they've got someone with a directional mike, but I've installed a jammer app. Oh, and the unbreakable thing? True enough, but don't try and test the limits, okay?"


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another standalone ficlet!

**Prompt:** 056\. Fortune  
**Pairing/Rating:** Eliot/Quinn, PG-13  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #26 in the Eliot/Quinn series

"I don't get you," Quinn said. 

Eliot looked up. "Who?"

"You, Hardison and Parker," Quinn said. 

Eliot snorted. "Nobody gets Parker. I'm sure note even Parker knows why she's doing half the stuff she's doing." 

"No, I mean, you're all sitting on a fortune, and yet you go out and pull all sorts of crazy stunts. And for what? What's in it for you, apart from bruises, pain and danger?" 

Eliot shrugged. "The chance to do some good, maybe try and make up for a few of the things I did over the years." He sighed. "If we weren't doing this, we'd still be pulling cons, cheating, tricking and lying. At least this way, we know we're doing it for the right reasons."


	27. Chapter 27

**Prompt:** 057\. Cloth  
**Pairing/Rating:** 118  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #27 in the Eliot/Quinn series

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Quinn croaked. "I feel like the only time I get to see you sometimes is if one of us is sick or injured."

"You could stop jetting around the world for your jobs," Eliot suggested, but it was said without heat as he gently replaced the damp washcloth on Quinn's sweaty forehead with a fresh one. 

"Uh-huh," Quinn said. "So that wasn't you who sent me that image of Parker and Hardison in life guard swimsuits on a tropical beach somewhere. Must have been someone else pulling an Apple Pie* in the Dominican Republic."

Eliot grinned. "The fever's making you delirious. Want more soup?" 

"If you made it?" Quinn asked. "Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Apple Pie. You know. Like the Cherry Pie, but with lifeguards.


	28. Chapter 28

**Prompt:** 030\. Gift  
**Pairing/Rating:** 229  
**Warnings/Spoilers/Notes:** #28 in the Eliot/Quinn series

Quinn hurried into the brew pub, wincing internally when everyone at the table - Eliot, Hardison and Parker as well as the brew pub employees - turned to look at him. The "work" birthday parties had been Hardison's idea. He'd made a list of everyone's birthday and then everyone got together after closing for some drinks and fun. Quinn was on the list as well - why, he had no idea - but he still had another five months to worry about the fact that his life was so open to so many people. 

"Sorry I'm late," Quinn said, dropping a kiss on Eliot's cheek before sitting in the empty seat next to him. "I got held up at work." 

Eliot shot him a sideways glance, subtly checking for any visible injuries. 

Quinn flashed him a grin, letting him know without words that the only one with any injuries was the other guy. "Here," he said, handing Eliot a leather kit. "Happy birthday." 

Eliot undid the brass buckle and opened the kit, revealing a row of very sharp, very expensive knifes. "Wow," Eliot said, giving Quinn a quick kiss. He took one of the knives, balancing it in his hand. "Quality work," he said. "Thank you." 

Quinn leaned in close, whispering so that no one else at the table could hear. "They're good for chopping vegetables _and_ stabbing people."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaan that's it. The End. And they lived happily ever after. :D 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed these ficlets!


End file.
